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Holistic Guidance - Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
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List Price: $29.99
Our Price: $16.99
Your Save: $ 13.00 ( 43% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, Edward Sanders, Timothy Spall
Directed By: Tim Burton
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
EAN: 0097363500643
Format: AC-3
Label: Dreamworks Video
Manufacturer: Dreamworks Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Dreamworks Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2008-04-01
Running Time: 116
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Theatrical Release Date: 2007-12-21
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Editorial Reviews:
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Johnny Depp and Tim Burton join forces again in a big-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical thriller "Sweeney Todd." Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge not only for that cruel punishment but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop Sweeney Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who "shaved the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard from again." Joining Depp is Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett Sweeney's amorous accomplice who creates diabolical meat pies. The cast also includes Alan Rickman who portrays the evil Judge Turpin who sends Sweeney to prison and Timothy Spall as the Judge's wicked associate Beadle Bamford and Sacha Baron Cohen is a rival barber the flamboyant Signor Adolfo Pirelli.System Requirements:Running Time: 116 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre:Â HORROR/PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER Rating:Â R UPC:Â 097363500643 Manufacturer No:Â 350064
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Blood and gore and upbeat songs
Comment: Johnny Depp certainly got himself another hit on his hands with this one, much to the delight of his considerable fan club and every other Broadway baby out there. While I don't know if Johnny Depp is the world's greatest singer (he won't be doing opera anytime soon) he proves that he can carry a tune well enough to make this a musical worth seeing, and fans of prior versions of the show should be pleased. Helena Bonham Carter keeps up her pace as his consort with that flair of hers we all know and love.
But it ain't just Mr. Depp and Ms. Carter. Even without him and his gifts "Sweeny Todd" is art, a sensitive version of the old legend of the killer that speaks of his personal tragedy even as it recognizes his darker and, dare I say, it comedy. Simply put, "Sweeny Todd" is a great story in every sense of the word. It has it all: comedy, tragedy, romance, cannibalism. What more do you need? Visually it is a gem, from the river of blood that opens it to the scenes that vary between the streets of London and the cramped spaces of the homes and pie shops. It does not sweep broadly, but pulls you into claustrophobic conditions that force you to examine the characters. Every one of them is real. Every one of them, good or evil, earns your appreciation in a character-driven story that refuses to be two-dimensional.
This is not about a barber that kills people. This is about what people will do when they are desperate in their passions of love and hate. We see goodness, innocence, love. We see revenge, evil, pain. We see everything in between, serious and funny alike.
The songs are incredible and do their part to move the story along in their lyrics of passion and black humor.
Isn't it great that musicals are back in vogue?
Customer Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous - but disappointing storytelling
Comment: The desaturated Gothic graphics are stunning. Which they should be, since Tim Burton's been honing his ability to portray them for fifteen years. Perhaps he should try sepia tones instead of desaturation for his next film.
The performances were good - but there were two tragic flaws that kept this from being a good film. The first was the plotting. Although this is supposedly a story about Mr. Todd, his character is stagnant, an iconic force of revenge. All of his change has already taken place offstage. The most change he goes from is "Kill a few select people" to "kill everyone" - and that change happens in a most contrived and unsatisfying way. Helena Bonham Carter's character, however, does change - but her storyline, her conflicts are glossed over to provide more time for the supposedly "main" storyline. This would have been a much better story had it been told from her character's viewpoint, centering on her conflicts and internal struggles on what - and whom - to serve.
The second flaw is, unfortunately, the main trope of the story. The songs. With only two exceptions - both duets involving Helena Bonham Carter's character - the songs do little to advance the story or show character. They are set pieces that simply exist for thier own sake. This would be forgivable if they were memorable - but they're not. Every line - sung or not - must advance the plot or show character. Too many lines - both sung and not - are instead included simply to exist, and it shows.
In short, this film adaptation of the musical would have been a hundredfold better had it shed the music and used that time to instead explore the characters within it. Would it still be an adaptation of the musical? Perhaps not, but it would have been a lot better story.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Love The Movie But The DVD ....
Comment: I'm a huge Johnny Depp fan & I had to replace my old copy of Sweeney Todd. So I purchased a new copy. In the description it said DVD was brand new & when I recieved the DVD it was in wrap but the DVD it self had scratches. When I played the DVD it skipped about three times. Thank God I have a DVD scratch cleaner if not I would have sent it back. Shipping was very fast also.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Geeeeee Beeeeeeee (G B)
Comment: GRUESOMELY BEAUTIFUL. . .This movie is gruesomely beautiful. The storyline is bizarre, the scenes grotesque, the costuming and make-up are magnificently dark, the score is morbidly complex, the actors are macabre-ly on the money. These elements combined to result in a work of art that is gruesomely beautiful.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the Broadway version
Comment: I suspect that most reviewers who gave this movie five stars have not seen the other version of Sweeney Todd -- the version starring George Hearn and Angela Lansbury. Here:Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway) (Keepcase) or here: Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Broadway) (Snap Case)
The movie sets are terrific, as is the instrumental music and the direction, but neither Johnny Depp nor Helena Bonham Carter can sing as well as Hearn or Lansbury. This is not to say that they are bad, but they just don't measure up to Broadway's demanding standards.
Although I was very much looking forward to getting a newer version of this grisly story, I will stick with my older DVD for the superior voices on it. This new one disappointed me.
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